assistant.” Angelo frowned at his sibling.
Nico’s dark brows rose and then a knowing smile pulled at his lips. “I hope my brother doesn’t work you too hard while you’re in Italy. There’s so much to see. I’d love to give you a tour of the vineyard—”
“She doesn’t have time for that stuff. She’s here to work.” Any hint of the easiness Angelo had displayed in the car was gone—hidden behind an impenetrable wall. “Now where is Marianna?”
“I don’t know.”
“What? Didn’t you tell her that I was on my way?”
“I did.” Nico folded his arms over his broad chest and lifted his chin. “I think that’s the reason she left so early this morning without even bothering to grab a bite to eat. I haven’t seen her since, but then again, I haven’t looked for her, either.”
“You let her walk away—?”
“What did you want me to do? Lock her in her room?”
“Maybe if you’d have done that a while ago, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Nico’s arms lowered and his shoulders straightened. “You’re blaming me for this?”
Angelo’s body visibly tensed. “Yes...no. If only I’d have known something was wrong, I could have...”
“Could have what?”
Kayla’s gaze darted between the two men who glared at each other. It was time to do something and fast. “This certainly is a beautiful place you have here.” She acted as though she were totally oblivious to the torrent of undercurrents. “Angelo told me you produce some of the finest wine in Italy.”
At last, the brothers quit glaring at each other. Nico turned to her. “My brother got that much right. I’d be happy if you’d sample some while you’re here.”
“I’d be honored.”
This palpable tension certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting for a family reunion, but then again, after overhearing the heated conversation when Nico had phoned the office, she shouldn’t be too surprised. She turned her attention to her always-in-control boss, who looked as though he was about to lose his cool edge and have a meltdown. Intriguing. There was definitely a lot more to him than what she’d witnessed so far.
“I should have come back before now.” There was a weary, pained toned to Angelo’s voice. “I let the past keep me away.”
Nico turned back to his sibling. “What happened to you was a long time ago. It wasn’t right, but a lot has changed since then. You no longer have an excuse to stay away.”
“But I still have a company to run. I don’t have time to drop everything and travel halfway around the globe to check up on things. As far as I knew, everything was all right.”
“Maybe if you didn’t work all the time and bothered to call occasionally, you’d know how things were going around here.”
Questions crowded into Kayla’s mind—questions that were absolutely none of her business. But that didn’t stop her from wondering what had happened to drive Angelo away from his family. He obviously loved them or he wouldn’t have let his cool composure slide. And what caused him to keep his emotions under lock and key in the first place?
Angelo raked his fingers through his hair. “Maybe I should have called more.”
“Yes, you should have.”
The thud of a door slamming shut punctuated Nico’s words. Kayla hesitantly glanced off in the distance as a young woman marched toward them. Her brown hair was wild and curly as it fluttered in the breeze. Her lips pressed into a firm line and her eyes narrowed in on the two men. This must be Marianna.
“Enough!” The woman came to a stop between Angelo and Nico. “You two are being ridiculous. Anytime you both want to quit with the overprotective-brother routine, we can talk.”
Though she was at least a foot shorter than her brothers, Marianna certainly didn’t hesitate to step between them. Something told Kayla that little sister wasn’t a shrinking violet with these two as her brothers. She’d definitely have to be strong-willed. Silently Kayla cheered her on.
Angelo’s broad chest puffed up before he sighed. When he spoke, his voice was much gentler. “Marianna, if only I’d known—”
“Stop.” The young woman pressed her hands to her hips and pulled back her slender shoulders. “Neither of you are to blame for my choices.”
Angelo’s brows drew together in a formidable line. “But—”
“I’m not done.” Her shoulders remained ramrod straight. “I’m a grown woman, if you hadn’t noticed. But then again, you’ve been off in the States and missed the fact that I’ve grown up. Maybe if you’d spent more time here, you’d have realized this.”
Kayla’s heart went out to Angelo. He’d obviously made mistakes where his family was concerned, and they weren’t shy about calling him out on it. In his eyes, she could see pain and regret. Beneath his hard, protective shell lurked a vulnerable man.
Angelo’s stance eased and his head lowered. “I know I should have been here for you—”
“No. This isn’t what I want.” Marianna shook her head, sending her hair flying. “I don’t need you feeling guilty. I need you to understand that I can make my own decisions.”
“See, I told you,” Nico piped in. “Trying to deal with her isn’t as easy as it sounds.”
Angelo turned to his brother. “Maybe if you’d have told me sooner—”
Nico’s dark brows drew together in a formidable line. “Told you—I tried calling you but I always got your voice mail. And you didn’t call back.”
“I...I was getting around to it.”
Nico shook his head in disbelief. “I’m glad to know where I fit on your list of priorities.”
“You don’t understand.” Angelo rubbed the back of his neck. “You don’t know what it’s like to have a lot of people relying on you to produce cutting-edge promotions and other people looking to you for a paycheck. It’s not as easy as it sounds to run a successful company.”
Nico expelled a disgusted sigh. “And you think turning this place into a renowned boutique vineyard has been easy? Yet I still found time to call you.”
“Your message never said it was important.”
“Stop!” Marianna pushed Angelo back. “You aren’t helping anything by coming here and fighting with Nico.”
Angelo took a deep breath and blew it out. “I know I wasn’t here when you needed me, but I’m here now. Let me help.”
Kayla watched all of this in utter amazement. She never would have guessed her boss was capable of such a wide range of emotions. So then why did he strive at the office for such an unflappable persona? What was she missing?
